


Is The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie an example of North American fantasy?

by Joshine



Category: The Raven Tower - Ann Leckie
Genre: Essay, Freeform, Gender politics, I can't believe I got so worked up over this but also it's completely on brand, Indigenous, LGBTQ Themes, Native America - Freeform, Native American, North America, Other, Two-Spirit, idk - Freeform, non-fiction, turtle island
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 21:41:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19876513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Joshine/pseuds/Joshine
Summary: Read an argument, with citations, because I read the Raven Tower and was full of Turtle Island feelings for it.





	Is The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie an example of North American fantasy?

Is _The Raven Tower_ by Ann Leckie an example of North American fantasy?

First thing first, this book is marvelous, and extremely unique. From the narrator being a literal rock (who is also a god), to the extended use of second person narrative, I’ve never read a book quite like _The Raven Tower_. Is this my new favorite book? Oh totally. But does it take place in fantasy North America/Turtle Island? Mmm maybe. Will I tell you in minute detail all the little things that first gave me that idea? If you want to read this essay, I sure will.

The first thing that caught my eye is on the very first page of the novel. Leckie describes two important characters, Mawat and Eolo. While I could probably write another essay on Eolo, the matter-of-fact not cis main character, the details for Mawat were what brought to mind the aesthetics of the Indigenous cultures of Turtle Island. He is described as having “long hair in dozens of braids pulled back in a broad ring, feathers worked in repoussé on gold” (Leckie pg.1) – braids and feathers, I realize these are basic fashion statements that could have any multitude of meanings. Especially for Mawat, who is the Heir to the Lease – a character deeply connected to the Raven god. That doesn’t stop my mind from searching out representation, especially in Ann Leckie novels, an author who has given me more representation and diverse characters than I know what to do with (the answer is, obviously, write essays about them). The problem with just the aesthetic, however, is that it is constantly taken from Indigenous people with nothing of substance to come from it. While I trust Ann Leckie more than the average white woman, I took this cautiously and continued reading the book – but already on the lookout for evidence of a Turtle Island influence.

The next character description of importance was that of Tikaz, who is described: “a tall woman [strode] by with a basket of carded wool on her head, the gold and glass beads braided into her hair swinging and clicking against each other, shining against the brown of her skin” (Leckie pg.7). This is the first mention of skin color, and it is brown! The mention of braids and beads is noted as well. There are other ethnicities of real world counterparts that could be described with brown skin and braids, including African peoples, Central American peoples, and some people of the Pacific Islands. But when the map is considered, with the North being cold, and the South being hot – North being closer to the pole, and South being closer to the equator – it’s clear the environment takes place in a northern hemisphere. The narrator mentions that the astrophysics of this world are very similar to that of our own, and it logically tracks that their earth is a globe, tilted on an axis, that revolves around the sun.

Not only are individual characters reminiscent of Turtle Island, the Xulahn people of the book bring to mind the Aztecs/Nahua of Mesoamerica. On first meeting the visitors from the south, they are described as “bare-legged, in short cloaks and tunics and open-toed boots” (Leckie pg. 11). Here are a couple exampled of traditional Aztec clothing to compare ([link](https://rosenlearningcenter.com/staticfiles/rosen-bookshelf/books/spotlightOnAztecCivilization/ancientAztecDailyLife/data/bookPages/img/ch_3b.jpg)) ([link](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/64/a1/bc/64a1bc99374255a7bf23bdca60b44839.jpg)). In these pictures I see short cloaks, called tilmatli or tilma; plenty of bare legs; as well as footwear, that I’m unfamiliar with, but could be described as open-toed boots. While the narrator, and the reader, don’t find out the real motivation of the Xulahn for being involved with the events happening at the Raven Tower, the Xulahn’s tell Eolo a few times that they are only looking to explore and see what is past the strait and to the north of the area the Raven controls. This idea of exploration and the accumulation of knowledge means very little alone, but when paired with the snake god that the Xulahns are travelling with (introduced on pg 77), only points us farther in the direction of the Xulahns as a fantasy stand in for the Aztecs/Nahua. One of the most famous deities of the Aztecs/Nahua is the god Quetzalcoatl. Quetzalcoatl is often depicted as a snake. One of Quetzalcoatl’s many dominions is that of knowledge, learning, and Aztec priesthood (Smith pg. 213).

As a god, the narrator is obligated to follow honesty rules similar to European fae to survive. In _the Raven Tower_ , if a god says something that isn’t true, then the world/universe/etc will try to make the god’s words true, at the cost of the god’s lifeforce/magic. Due to this aspect of the world building, the narrator often starts stories with the words “here is a story I have heard”, the narrator does this so they are not responsible for the truthfulness or accuracy of the story, but whoever told them is (Leckie pg. 19). There is a similar way of story telling in Turtle Island, among people of multiple nations. To my understanding, this is due to the power of storytelling within these cultures, and to account for the variation within stories told by different people.

The narrator starts one of their stories on page 89, and this story features a god who uses the form of a snow goose. The interesting thing about the snow goose is that the bulk of its population is in North America, its breeding grounds are in northern Canada, Alaska, and Greenland ([link](https://download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v1/asset/31491721?__hstc=226533890.45f8a3d51f75aedb5679f9f701028790.1563312623941.1563312623941.1563312623941.1&__hssc=226533890.1.1563312623943&__hsfp=2085519510)).

And while we’re on the subject of the ‘far north’, where the narrator is from. The narrator talks about a people who worship them, they are called the Kaluet, and are different from the last people that worshipped the narrator based on their language (Leckie pg. 93). The first thing I thought upon reading the name of this people was how similar their name is to the Aleut, who are the Indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands, the islands between Alaska and Russia. Or possibly the Alutiiq, who are an Indigenous people of Alaska – who were referred to as the Aleut by Russian fur traders (Richmond).

This wouldn’t be an Ann Leckie novel without an interesting comment on gender. The character Eolo is obviously not cis – but since he never used the word “trans” or “transgender”, I feel weird about placing that label on him with conviction. In much the same way we should carefully consider using contemporary terms for gender with historical people, maybe we should consider the different terms that we can use for characters who exist in the fantasy setting. When Tikaz realizes that Eolo’s sex and gender role within society don’t match up, she brings up an unnamed aunt, who dealt with a similar gender experience, during this discussion Tikaz brings up the idea that the Northern gods prefer priests who are “like Eolo” (Leckie pg. 266). In North America there is another contemporary term that requires careful consideration before applying to individuals (living or fictional), Two Spirit. This term was coined by the Anishinabe in 1990 at the 3rd International Native Gay & Lesbian Gathering in Winnipeg, Canada – and it acts as an umbrella term for cultural, spiritual, and social roles (Naswood). It should be noted that Two Spirit does not mean Native and LGBT, though Two Spirit and LGBT can overlap, the important defining aspect of bring Two Spirit is “traditional and cultural understandings of gender roles and identity” based on the individual’s Nation (Naswood). For example, the Wintke role of the Lakota and the Two Spirit identity of the Diné are sacred ones (Naswood). It should also be noted, that the concept of Two Spirit is absolutely dependent upon what Nation the individual is from, and different Nations and different individuals can have different ideas on what Two Spirit is. 

Near the end of the book, Eolo refers to an older woman who he is not related to as “Auntie” (Leckie pg. 376). This is just not something white men do. It’s a fact. I have no citation for it. In my personal experience, if you have a thick hair follicle (Asian, Polynesian, Native) you’re going to call older women ‘Auntie’.

There are other details that point in the other direction, toward fantasy Europe, where most of these sorts of fairytale-like stories take place. There are mentions of horses, cabbage, apples, honey, and silk. These details point toward a fantasy Europe with trade routes and connections with Asia and Africa. But those examples don’t erase the previously discussed pieces of evidence. Which leaves the question, did the author mean to put those North American details in the novel, or did living in North America color the novel subconsciously?

* * *

Leckie, Ann (2019). _The Raven Tower_ (1st ed.). New York, NY: Orbit, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. ISBN 978-0-316-38869-6.

[Smith, Michael E.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_E._Smith) (2003). _The Aztecs_ (2nd ed.). Malden, MA: [Blackwell Publishing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwell_Publishing). [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Number) [0-631-23015-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-631-23015-7). 

["Aleut People"](http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/13914/Aleut). _Encyclopædia Britannica_. 2011.

Laurie Shannon Richmond (2011), ["Regulating a Mystery: Science, colonialism, and the politics of knowing in the Pacific halibut commons"](http://conservancy.umn.edu/bitstream/104546/1/Richmond_umn_0130E_11789.pdf) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20130124022658/http:/conservancy.umn.edu/bitstream/104546/1/Richmond_umn_0130E_11789.pdf) 2013-01-24 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine), _Conservancy,_ February 2011

Naswood, Elton & Jim, Mattee. "Mending the Rainbow: Working with the Native LGBT/Two Spirit Community” 13th National Indian Nations Conference. December 2012.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to leave a comment, I would like to read peoples’ opinions on this. That being said, please don’t speak over Native voices on this topic.
> 
> ✨ [deviantArt](https://www.deviantart.com/joshine96) ✨ [tumblr](https://swirlydoom.tumblr.com/) ✨


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